The present invention relates to computerized search tools. In particular, the present invention relates to formatting text in queries used with computerized search tools.
Computers are well suited to searching large databases for selected pieces of information. Computer applications that perform such searches are known as search tools or search engines. In general, searches are based on search terms provided by the user.
Because search tools are computerized, they handle search terms in a literal fashion. In other words, search tools typically only search for the exact word that the user submits. Although some search tools do have the capacity to convert words to their plural form or to their singular form, search tools otherwise use the search terms exactly as they appear in the search query.
This literal construction of the search query means that misspelled words are used directly in the search. This can skew the results of the search since the search tool will only return results that include the misspelled word and will not return results based on the word that the user actually intended to include in their query. This problem is especially acute if the user is not told that their query included a misspelled word because they may not realize that their search has been compromised.
Some search tools available over the Internet do check the spelling of a user""s search query. However, the query must first be submitted across the Internet before the spelling of the query can be checked. This prevents the query from being spell checked as the user types and thus degrades the efficiency of the user""s search.
A method for improving searching of a network receives a search query from a user without the query passing over the network. The query is then examined to determine if it includes misspelled words. After examining the query, the query is used to search the network.
In some embodiments, the method also includes a step of providing a visual cue to the user to indicate that the search query includes a misspelled word. In further embodiments of the invention, the method also includes a step of providing lists of possible spellings for the misspelled words and allowing the user to select one of the possible spellings from the list. The method then replaces the misspelled word with the selected spelling to produce modified text. The modified text is then used to search the network.